The measure of you

Explore how digital biomarkers are changing the way we understand health

Digital tools, such as smartphones or wearables, can now continually measure and
collect health information – or “digital biomarkers” – from patients.

Day in the life of a patient with weak
symptoms

Day with a visit to the clinic/physician

Day with stronger symptoms

Patients' recall period for symptoms

365 days living with a disease

Every dot on this graph represents a day in the life of a patient

People living with a condition may only see a physician once or twice a year and
may not entirely remember how they have felt on a specific day. Digital biomarkers help to provide a
more comprehensive picture of how you feel on a day-to-day basis.

Digital biomarkers are changing how future medicines will be developed and could lead to more
personalised treatments. This will transform the lives of patients.
Christian Gossens Head of Digital Biomarkers, Roche Pharma Research & Early Development

Patient perspective: Shining light on a hidden condition

Every new symptom I notice I write down and the day I go to my appointment I go with a little piece of
paper so I don’t forget anything.
Martina Ribera, 49 Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis 20 years ago

Many of us find it hard to remember what we had for breakfast yesterday, what
we were doing last Monday at 9am or whether we slept well two weeks ago. But what if our health
depended on it?

People living with a chronic condition may often not see a doctor for months or
years at a time. This means they face the almost impossible task of trying to remember the sometimes
subtle daily changes in their symptoms between doctor visits.

The challenge doctors face is trying to see exactly what is happening, hidden
away inside the brain and central nervous system of patients. Being able to track and accurately
measure any changes – could lead to ways to slow, and even prevent, irreversible disease progression
for patients.

Physician perspective: Fine-tuning treatment with constant monitoring

As a doctor, it can sometimes be difficult to know if I am on the right track with treatment for patients. A phone in the pocket doing frequent assessments would allow me to start fine tuning.
Parkinson’s expert Dr Ron Postuma Associate professor in the Department of Neurology and
Neurosurgery at McGill University in Montreal, Canada

Digital biomarkers can build on existing tests that patients and clinicians
use, with other day-to-day passive monitoring. By combining this information with what they or their
family are noticing, they can get a more complete picture.